A popular success, the production is already back for a revival, updated and with one new cast member, Kanae Asakawa. It will travel to Kawasaki and Fukuoka later this month. The four performers personify exuberance in the wildly whimsical romp, Llon Kawai, Aokid, Yu Okamoto, and Asakawa.
The plot is simple: a ragtag band of “superheroes” struggle to regain equilibrium after the earth, tired of being trampled and abused, hurls itself skyward to flip the world upside down. Ito created the storyline first as a Japanese picture book, The Secret Hut, also drawing the illustrations in the kamishibai tradition. Ten minutes before the performance time, the dancers lead the audience behind the seats to a small alcove, where Kawai turned the pages as a pre-recorded voice read Ito’s work. The children sat cross-legged on the floor, as adults gathered in a circle. It was an effective start, firing imaginations as the story continues onstage.
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